It’s back day at the gym. And lucky for you, most gyms have a plethora of back workout machines to choose from. But with so many available, how do you know which back workout machines are the best for pull day?
I tried all the back workout machines at my gym, and I’ll cover my top 5 back workout machines as well as:
- Specific exercises to use with each of the pull day back workout machines
- Muscles worked in the back workout machines
- Benefits of the back workout machines
- Pro tips for using the back workout machines
So by the end of this article, you’ll know exactly which back workout machines to look out for at your gym, how to use them, and insider tips for how to use each one.
As an added bonus, you’ll get my take on which machines are particularly back-friendly. That’s because we’re Back Muscle Solutions. Through our programs and products, we bring people from limited, sore, and achy to going to the gym regularly without back pain. If back pain is a limiting factor for your gym performance, sign up to get our free e-book below and learn how to get lasting relief from your back pain right from your home!
Here are the machines I’ll cover:
Back Workout Machines #1: Lateral Raise Machine
Back Workout Machines #2: Rear Delt Machine
Back Workout Machines #3: Chest Supported Row Machine
Back Workout Machines #4: Cable Machine
Back Workout Machines #5: Smith Machine
Back Workout Machines #1: Lateral Raise Machine
We’ll start with one of the back workout machines that I recommend for beginners: the lateral raise machine.
This back workout machine provides a guided range of motion for you as you lift and raise your arms. Because of this, it’s a less advanced movement than using dumbbells or cables for a lateral raise.
There are two types of lateral raise machines: seated and standing. Today, we’ll focus on how to use the seated version of these two back workout machines.
But first, here's what the lateral raise machine looks like:
How to Use the Lateral Raise Machine
1) Sit on the machine with your chest or back pressed against the pad, feet flat on the floor.
2) Position your arms between the pads.
3) Instead of grabbing the handles, let your arms hang by your sides with palms facing inward.
4) Lean slightly forward, pressing your chest into the pad.
5) Push your elbows outward and slightly forward, moving your arms at a 45-degree angle until they are parallel to the floor.
6) Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.
Muscles Worked in This Back Workout Machine
This is a great back workout machine for targeting your shoulders. This exercise primarily targets the middle deltoid muscle, which helps provide a nice, bulky shoulder appearance.
Benefits of This Back Workout Machine
Beginner-friendly: Provides stability, making it easier for beginners to learn proper form.
Targeted shoulder workout: Primarily works the side deltoids, helping create that rounded shoulder look.
Less reliance on momentum: The machine’s design encourages controlled movements.
Support for posture: The chest pad on seated back workout machines helps keep your torso stable, preventing unnecessary rocking.
Pro Tip for Lateral Raise Machine
To me, the biggest con of the lateral raise machine is the fact that if you grip the handles as the machine intends you to, your arms end up facing the machine straight-on, which doesn’t position your back to work your shoulders in the scapular plane (AKA the angle that works best with the natural alignment of your shoulder blade).
The best way around this?
Don’t grip the handles of the lateral raise machine. Instead, place your arms directly under the arm pads, angling them at a 45-degree angle. This will position your arms, so you work your back in the scapular plane.
Learn more about this machine here:
“Lateral Raise Machine: DO THIS for the Best Deltoid Activation”
Back Workout Machines #2: Rear Delt Machine
Let’s move from the mid delts to those rear delts. The rear delt machine is a great machine you can find at most gyms. Typically, you can change the settings to use it either as a pec deck machine for chest day or a rear delt machine for back day.
Here’s what the machine looks like:
How to Use the Rear Delt Machine: Rear Delt Flyes
1) Adjust the arms of the rear delt machine to the proper position for rear delt flyes. This is typically set at the “0” mark or the farthest setting from the machine.
2) Set the seat height of the rear delt machine to your preferred level.
3) Sit facing the machine with your chest pressed against the pad and your feet firmly planted on the ground.
4) Grasp the handles using either a neutral or overhand grip.
5) Extend your arms outward and slightly back, focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades during the movement.
6) Stop when your arms are aligned with your shoulders, holding briefly at the top.
7) Slowly bring the handles back to the starting position and repeat for 10-20 reps.
Muscles Worked in This Back Workout Machine
This back workout machine is primarily designed to help you build your rear delts, those muscles responsible for stabilizing your shoulders, pulling them back, and enhancing your posture. This machine will also hit your rhomboids and your traps.
Benefits of This Back Workout Machine
Accessible: Out of all the back workout machines in this article, this machine is one of the most accessible. Most gyms have a rear delt machine or two. It’s a popular one, though, so you might have to fight for it.
Stability: The chest pad on this machine allows your torso to remain stable during the movement, which helps all the muscle work move towards those rear delts and nothing else.
Posture: Since the rear delts work to pull your shoulder back, this is a natural way to enhance your posture–especially if you have a desk job that encourages you to hunch over all day.
Shoulder Strength: This back workout machine is a great shoulder-builder, so you’ll see natural benefits from using it.
Pro Tips for Using the Rear Delt Machine
Keep the Weight Light: Some people tend to overdo it on the weight, which can cause shrugging to happen during the motion of the exercise. This will engage your traps rather than rear delts.
How to Grip the Handles: This machine provides two grip options, and I recommend going with the neutral grip option, which provides the best activation for your rear delts. [1] This grip option looks like this:
For a deeper dive into the rear delt machine, you can check out the article below:
“Rear Delt Machine: How to Use, Muscles Worked, and 6 Pro Tips”
Back Workout Machines #3: Chest-Supported Row Machine
Similar to the rear delt machine, the chest-supported row machine also provides the stability of the chest pad to help you bias your back and shoulder muscles.
How to Use the Chest-Supported Row Machine
1) Locate a chest-supported row machine in your gym and load it with a suitable weight.
2) Pull the handles toward your body, using the chest pad for stability.
3) As you pull, squeeze your shoulder blades together.
4) Hold the contraction for a moment.
5) Slowly release the handles, returning to the starting position while allowing your shoulder blades to fully stretch forward.
Muscles Worked in This Row Back Workout Machine
Out of all the pull day back workout machines, this machine guarantees activation of so many back muscles, including the lats, traps, rhomboids, and rear delts. You can also flare out your shoulders to bias your upper back.
Benefits of This Row Back Workout Machine
You can also find less supportive back workout machines similar to this–enabling the rowing motion but without the chest pad. And while it's totally fine to use row back workout machines that don’t have this kind of support, you do risk a wobbly torso.
The chest-supported row machine enables you to row without the wobble, securely fixing your body in place.
Pro Tips for Using the Chest-Supported Row Machine
Tuck your shoulder blades: When I first started using this machine, I had a hard time targeting my shoulder and back muscles, and instead, I was just kind of pulling the weight towards me.
To really target your upper back here, tuck your shoulder blades in and down, and keep your elbows tucked close to your body.
Drive your chest into the pad: Set the chest pad, so the bottom of the pad hits just below your chest. Then, as you row, keep your chest pressed into the pad–avoiding lifting your chest off of the pad in order to maintain a safe and neutral spine.
Back Workout Machines #4: Cable Machine
One of the most versatile of the pull day back workout machines, the cable machine offers several different exercise varieties–all of which target your back in various ways. Here are two of my favorite back exercises using the cable machine.
Lat Pulldown
How to do the Lat Pulldown
1) Find a bench attachment at a cable machine.
2) Begin by securing a straight bar to the cable machine.
3) Adjust the pads on the bench to your preferred height.
4) Sit on the bench and grip the bar with an overhand grip, ensuring your hands are shoulder-width apart.
5) Pull the bar down towards the top of your chest.
6) Then, slowly bring the bar back to the starting position, allowing your lats to stretch at the top.
Muscles Worked in the Lat Pulldown
The lat pulldown effectively works your lats, teres major, traps, and rear delts.
Benefits of the Lat Pulldown
Great Lat Stretch: When you allow your arms to extend all the way up at the top of this exercise, you’ll feel an amazing stretch in your lats.
Aesthetics: Out of all the back exercise machines, the cable machine allows you to easily increase the weight with a pin load. This, combined with the natural benefits of the lat pulldown movement, allows for great aesthetics, especially the ability to build a wider, thicker back.
Pro Tips for the Lat Pulldown
Did you know that with a slight change of grip, you can also target your biceps with this exercise? Learn more about the supinated lat pulldown in this article:
“Supinated Lat Pulldown: Fire Up BOTH Bicep & Lat Growth”
Low Cable Row
You can easily turn the cable machine into a row back workout machine. Introducing the low cable row. For this, you’ll need to find a built-in bench at a cable station with a low pulley.
How to do the Low Cable Row
1) Attach a narrow handle to the cable. I prefer the Double-D handle.
2) Sit upright with a puffed-out chest, shoulders back, and your core engaged.
3) Slightly lean forward from your hips.
4) Pull the handle towards your stomach, leaning back as you do so while squeezing your shoulder blades together.
5) Slowly return to the starting position and repeat the movement.
Muscles Worked in the Low Cable Row
When you perform a low cable row, you’ll activate your lats, traps, delts, and erector spinae muscles.
Benefits of the Low Cable Row
Stability: As you place your feet against the platforms, this allows you to keep your body stable during the row.
More Back Focus: The stability of this exercise also ensures that your legs and core don’t take over this exercise that’s meant to target your back.
More Weight: Comparing this to a standing cable row, you will be able to add more weight because of the added stability.
For a comparison of the seated vs standing cable row, check out this article:
“Standing Cable Row: vs Seated, How to, & Pro Tips”
Pro Tip for the Low Cable Row
Grip Choice: When it comes to the cable row, you have a choice whether you go with a narrow grip or a wide grip.
The wide grip will primarily target your lats–as seen in the picture below.
The narrower grip will target your rhomboids and mid traps by bringing your shoulder blades together.
For more cable back workout exercises, check out our article below:
“8 Explosive Cable Back Workouts That Fortify Against Back Pain (and Get You Jacked!)”
Back Workout Machines #5: Smith Machine
When it comes to back workout machines that make it easy on form and back safety, I recommend the Smith machine.
This back workout machine uses a fixed path to help you maintain form. This extra guidance helps ensure that your back stays safe during your back exercises.
Here’s my favorite Smith machine back workout.
Smith Machine Inverted Row
I like this Smith Machine inverted row even better than the Smith Machine bent-over row because it takes the emphasis off of your lower back, making this exercise a safe option for anyone dealing with back issues.
How to do the Smith Machine Inverted Row
1) Set the Smith machine bar so that when you reach up and extend your arms, your body isn’t resting on the floor. Lowering the bar increases the difficulty of the exercise.
2) Lie down on the floor beneath the bar.
3) Grasp the bar with an overhand (pronated) grip, ensuring your hands are slightly wider than shoulder-width. Keep your arms straight, which will naturally lift your body off the floor.
4) Press your heels into the floor while maintaining a straight body alignment.
5) Pull your chest up toward the bar.
6) Engage your back muscles as you reach the top of the movement, and hold for a moment.
7) Gradually lower back to the starting position and repeat the exercise.
Muscles Worked in the Smith Machine Inverted Row
The muscles worked during the Smith Machine inverted row are the lats, rhomboids, deltoids, biceps, and forearms.
Benefits of the Smith Machine Inverted Row
Lower Back Safe: As I already mentioned, as soon as you flip the row and use your body weight, you shift the attention off of your lower back while still working muscles that you’d typically work in a row.
The only downside is that you are using just bodyweight, so you cannot add weight as easily.
Pro Tips for the Smith Machine Inverted Row
One way to add weight to this exercise is to use a dip belt to add weight to your body for the row.
I wrote a whole article on different back exercises you can do with the Smith machine. Check it out below:
“5 Best Smith Machine Back Workout Exercises”
Back Pain and Back Workout Machines
So, what if you try out all 5 of these back workout machines, but you find that back pain is a limiting factor for your pull day?
Is that just normal?
No.
Back workout machines should never cause you pain.
And if your back pain is stopping you from using these back workout machines or from building the strong back muscles you’d like to have…that’s never okay! Or just something to accept.
1) What if you could use these back workout machines with no fear of injury–or tweaking your back?
2) Or what if you could start confidently using back workout machines that were previously off-limits because of back pain?
#1 and #2 are possible. We know because we ourselves have experienced similar limitations to our workout routines–all because of back pain. In fact, our founder, Ben, had 4 years of crippling back pain before he found the key to getting back to lifting heavy at the gym.
Now, Ben uses all the same concepts to help people all over the world get out of back pain and BACK into the gym.
Learn about the key to living pain-free! Get his free e-book by signing up below.
Back Workout Machines FAQs
What gym machine works your back?
Lots of gym machines work your back, including the lateral raise machine, the rear delt machine, the chest supported row machine, the cable machine, and the Smith Machine.
What machine is used for back?
One of the most versatile back exercise machines that I see used for backs is the cable machine. You can do exercise like the low cable row, the lat pullover, and so many more.
What machines work lats?
Some back exercise machines that work your lats are the lat pullover and the lat pulldown machine. You can also use the cable machine for a lat pulldown.
What exercise hits the lats the most?
One of the exercises that hits your lats the most is the lat pulldown.
Sources:
[5] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319183684_Smith_Machine_exercise_the_key_points